LIVE, LIVE, LIVE EVIL What can helpless people do except to pray
that the almighty gives us power and strength to bear these difficulties
and take care of us. Because the whole world is chasing us you should
make some arrangement for our safety.

AFGHAN DIALOG, NEXT TARGET, 2001/02
26.5 X 63 inches (6)

NEXT TARGET? Attacking Muslim countries, America should respect at least
American opposition;

#14
AFGHAN DIALOG, AMERICA AT WAR, 2002
21 x 30 inches.

AMERICA AT WAR To finish and destroy terrorism, the entire Muslim world
is with America;

AFGHAN DIALOG, LATEST DEVELOMPMENTS
22 x 31.5 (29 x 41)#17

LATEST DEVELOMPMENTS The life of Pharaoh is a lesson for the world till
doomsday;

AFGHAN DIALOG, HOMELAND SECURITY, 2002
25.5 x 63.5 inches

HOMELAND SECURITY The entire Muslim world is with America against terrorism;

9

AFGHAN DIALOG, AMONG THE RUINS, 2002
24 x 31 inches

AMONG THE RUINS With the attacks on Afghanistan, did America prove to
be a peaceful nation?

--

AFGHAN DIALOG, NEWS NETWORK RUNNING TITLES, 2002

Silk embroidery, 81 x 183 cm (32 x 72 inches)

AFGHAN DIALOG, NEWS NETWORK LOGOS, 2002
32 x 72 inches

Afghan Dialogs  Embroidering Politics

All works presented in this exhibition have been created since September
11, 2001. They are mostly made in response to the reactions of the US
government and its coalition of the willing to these tragic
events. When bombs fell over Afghanistan, I was wondering what Afghan
people might have to tell us. I remembered the unsolicited political commentaries
added by the embroiderers of the works of Alighiero Boetti as well as
the traditional Afghani hand-knit carpets that feature tanks and Kalaschnikovs
in place of traditional motifs. I envisioned Afghan Dialogs, a series
of silk embroideries with reactions by Afghanis to network logos, headlines,
names of conflicts and military operations that we have now come to know
for selling, branding, justifying, authenticating and even cheerleading
belligerent news content. I encountered very generous people Pashtuns
at a New York Kebab shop who helped me to organize the production of these
works. My preparatory materials including instructions to write in reaction
to these logos were taken to the embattled region to be made and then
to return to New York City about ten to fourteen months later. The first
shipment of work returned without any added comments on them due to miscommunications.
The following embroideries returned with individual comments although
I was never able to clearly find out who was responsible for each inscription.
The last shipment was confiscated by Pakistani custom agents. Though I
was asking for any kind of comments, political as well as private ones,
I only received political commentaries with no additional elements added.
The only exception was a praying hand stitched into one of the margins.

All reactions I received are the result of an anonymous dialog work and
are not my brainchild. I am therefore not automatically sharing any of
their meaning. I dont defend them and I don t reject them,
I only consider them as results of this dialog work. Some results were
insultingly anti-Semitic or directly inciting hatred and are therefore
not used by me or published in this context. Following are all the replies
listed of works shown in Vienna. AMERICA STRIKES BACK If America is hurting
others, it should first find out how much pain it can take herself; NEXT
TARGET? G8 members should make their decisions wisely; NEXT TARGET? Attacking
Muslim countries, America should respect at least American opposition;
LATEST DEVELOMPMENTS The life of Pharaoh is a lesson for the world till
doomsday; HOMELAND SECURITY The entire Muslim world is with America against
terrorism; AMONG THE RUINS With the attacks on Afghanistan, did America
prove to be a peaceful nation? AMERICA AT WAR To finish and destroy terrorism,
the entire Muslim world is with America; HOMELAND SECURITY The entire
Muslim world is with America against terrorism; LIVE, LIVE, LIVE EVIL
What can helpless people do except to pray that the almighty gives us
power and strength to bear these difficulties and take care of us. Because
the whole world is chasing us you should make some arrangement for our
safety.